Latest news with #MattJones
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Derbyshire school shortlisted for global award
A school in Heanor that was heavily criticised by inspectors a decade ago has been shortlisted for an international award in honour of its community Gate Spencer Academy was branded "inadequate" by Ofsted inspectors in 2013 but has been rated as "outstanding" since it has earned a nomination in the Community Collaboration category of the World's Best School Prizes event, organised by educational platform T4 Education, in recognition of its work with a local foodbank, care home and boxing Matt Jones told the BBC he wanted his school to be "at the heart of the community" rather than just being about classroom lessons. Mr Jones said the school had stepped up its community involvement since the Covid pandemic."There have been a lot of people involved in the evolution of the school," he said."It's not just academic success, rising through the ranks Ofsted, but also developing community partnerships." "I think Covid brought us all together as a community."There was a lot of work to do to support families through that period. Money was tight and we had to do as much as we could to try and provide support that was more than education and our school did fantastically well."The school has teamed up with Heanor's Salcare Foodbank with pupils working to help cut the stigma for people using this have also collaborated with a local primary school to help residents in nearby care homes and children from the school regularly have boxing coaching at the Full Power Fitness 14, welcomed the school award nomination, saying: "I think it is a great opportunity for the school to be seen and noticed and it makes me proud that I am part of the school."When I was told it [the award scheme] was worldwide I was shocked that we had made it into the top ten." T4 Education founder Vikas Pota said: "It is in schools like Heanor Gate Spencer Academy where we find the innovations and expertise that give us hope for a better future. "Congratulations on becoming a finalist for the World's Best School Prizes 2025. Leaders and schools around the world have so much to learn from this inspirational Derbyshire institution."There are four other categories in the competition and the winners will be announced at the World Schools Summit in the United Arab Emirates in November.
South Wales Argus
06-06-2025
- South Wales Argus
Wildfire incidents increase by 450 per cent in south Wales
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) responded to 928 wildfires between January 1 and May 31 this year, marking a 483 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. The sharp rise has put significant pressure on crews, joint fire control, and support teams. Matt Jones, area manager and head of operations at SWFRS, said: "This year has already been incredibly challenging. "The scale and frequency of wildfires have tested our resources and our people. "But thanks to the commitment and professionalism of our crews and control room staff, we've responded quickly and effectively to protect our communities." Most of the wildfires occurred on common land, hillsides, and forested areas—often remote, difficult to access, and dangerous to tackle. The service is also focusing on prevention through Operation Firebreak, a long-term strategy to reduce wildfire incidents, and is working closely with the Wales Wildfire Board. Chris Evans, head of fire crime and home safety, said: "Our work through the Wales Wildfire Charter has made a real difference. "It's helped us build stronger relationships with landowners, environmental organisations, and local authorities, all of which enhances our ability to plan for, prevent, and respond to wildfires." SWFRS is also using drone technology during large-scale incidents to provide real-time aerial imagery, helping incident commanders assess fire spread and identify hotspots. A significant number of wildfires are believed to be deliberate. The service is working with South Wales Police and Gwent Police to investigate arson cases. Mr Jones said: "Deliberate firesetting is a serious crime. "It puts lives at risk, destroys habitats, and ties up emergency resources that could be needed elsewhere. "Our Arson Reduction Teams are working with police to investigate these incidents and take robust action where necessary." The public is urged to report suspicious behaviour anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by calling 101. In an emergency, always call 999. With hotter, drier weather expected this summer, SWFRS is warning that the wildfire risk could increase further.
Wales Online
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Number of wildfires in Wales up a whopping 500% year-on-year
Number of wildfires in Wales up a whopping 500% year-on-year Over the last five months emergency services have dealt with an eyewatering number of fires The aftermath of a grassfire in April (Image: John Myers ) There has been a dramatic increase in the number of wildfires that have ripped through south Wales this year, with nearly 1,000 recorded in the first five months. From January 1 to May 31 there has been a sharp rise of 483% on the number of wildfires in the region compared to the amount recorded in 2024. As Wales witnessed unseasonably warm and dry weather conditions throughout the early months of spring, grasslands were up in flames with emergency services attending a host of incidents throughout April. Helicopters, fire trucks and ATVs were used to distinguish incidents occurring on common land, hillsides, and forested areas that are often difficult and hazardous to tackle. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Officers at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) responded to 928 wildfires from January 1 to May 31 compared to just 159 the year prior. From Friday, March 14 to Wednesday, March 19, SWFRS attended more than 100 wildfire incidents within the six-day period. On April, 12 4X4 vehicles supported three fire engines in their efforts to distinguish a wildfire above the train station in Llanbradach. Article continues below Area manager for SWFRS, Matt Jones, head of operations said: "This year has already been incredibly challenging. The scale and frequency of wildfires have tested our resources and our people. But thanks to the commitment and professionalism of our crews and control room staff, we've responded quickly and effectively to protect our communities." During large-scale incidents of wildfires, the emergency service has been using drone technology to provide to help commanders assess the spread of the fire, identify hotspots and help keep crews safe. Whilst some fires have started due to the weather conditions, a 'significant proportion' of fires in south Wales are believed to be set deliberately. In April this year, six fire crews battled a blaze near Bryngarw Country Park in Bridgend that was believed to be deliberate. The aftermath of a wildfire near Bryngarw Country Park, Bridgend (Image: Richard Swingler ) Mr Jones added: "Deliberate firesetting is a serious crime. It puts lives at risk, destroys habitats, and ties up emergency resources that could be needed elsewhere. "Our Arson Reduction Teams are working with police to investigate these incidents and take robust action where necessary.' The service is urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious behaviour. Information can be shared anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or by calling 101. In an emergency, always call 999. With summer fast approaching, the hotter, longer dry spells are likely to increase the risk of wildfires even further with dry grass, bracken, and scrub easily ignited and fires can spread rapidly in open countryside. SWFRS are urging the public to take the following precautions: Article continues below Avoid using BBQs or open flames in the countryside. Never discard cigarettes or matches on the ground. Report fires immediately and keep a safe distance.
Wales Online
04-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Man treks 70 miles across Welsh mountains with a fridge on his back in memory of his wife
Man treks 70 miles across Welsh mountains with a fridge on his back in memory of his wife When Matt Jones made a bet with his late wife about trekking the Clwydian Range twice with a fridge on his back, he initially meant it as a joke The "Fridge Freezeer Man" Matt Jones has completed an incredibly arduous trek (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) Imagine hiking 70 miles across a Welsh mountain range— sounds daunting, right? Now imagine doing this with a recent hip replacement, and a nearly six stone-heavy fridge freezer on your back and it will start sounding almost impossible. Yet, this is exactly what a 42-year-old father of four did in memory of his late wife, raising thousands of pounds for charity. Matt Jones, an ex Royal Marine Commando, took on the gruelling trek across the Clwydian Range to honour a bet he made jokingly with his late wife, Vicky Jones who tragically passed away two days before Christmas last year. She was a mother to Charlie, 13, Alistair, 11, Arayah, 8, and, Evrah, 6. 'I was in laying in bed and was just getting educated by a surgeon who had just given me a full new hip reconstruction basically, and told me that I should be slowing down," said Matt. "He advised me I'm gonna break my body if I carry on doing what I'm doing. The challenge toook him through the challenging Clwydian Range (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) 'My wife was sat in the corner of the room laughing to herself, basically telling the surgeon you're talking to a brick wall, this man will do Llangollen Round with a fridge on his back next time.' For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The Llangollen Round is a bi-annual event where participants take part in a 35-mile sponsored hill hike across the Clwydian Range through a route that takes them through every summit around the Vale of Llangollen. Participants can complete the challenge either in one or two days. Article continues below 'I replied instantly I'll do it twice and I'll do it with a fridge freezer on my back,' Matt continued. 'At the time I didn't probably didn't really think that I was going to fulfil the bet. It was a bit of a tongue in cheek joke back to her. We're not a normal family I would say. 'Going into November, we talked about it as a family because I said I might do the thing off and round again and she was like remember you've got to do it with a fridge freezer and the children were laughing and joking.' Unfortunately, Vicky passed away soon after, on December 23. 'Going into the end of January. The mountains became my church a little bit," Matt said. "I started running a little bit and getting up there and I said to the children I think I'm going to go and do the Llangollen Round and they instantly said, 'well if you're doing it you got to do it with the fridge freezer and do it twice'.' And that is how the 'One Bet' challenge was born. Though it took a few hours of consideration, Matt was ready to fufill the bet he had made to Vicky, and started a training regiment to condition his body for the task. Though it was initially something private that only Matt and his children knew, it became hard to keep the secret as people would often spot him train in the mountains with the fridge on his back. 'The truth be told, for a long time, me and the children, we kept it a secret. The training started and this, this fridge freezer guy became a bit of a myth locally,' Matt explained. 'People were starting to talk saying, 'Have you heard about this guy up in the mountains with a fridge on his back?' Then it got to a point where I couldn't keep it a secret anymore.' Matt became a local legend while he practised ahead of the challenge (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) The training was not easy either, as Matt had to prepare his whole body for the seemingly insurmountable task. 'The conditioning is called conditioning of shoulders, hips, body, the whole body so it can go repetitively so that the body could withstand it for the period,' Matt said. 'So long training, but then recovery and then very high strength endurance. That's what it is. 'Repetitive, repetitive, repetitive but then allowing the body to recover to then go to the next level. I planned my training very structured to allow me to get both my engine, my lung capacity, my heart rate to stay at a particular level, and my strength to be strong enough to carry the weight. 'So it was very much a hybrid challenge because you've got to be strong enough to carry the weight, but then obviously fit enough to do the miles.' The extensive training took its toll as well, but Matt was determined to see the challenge through. 'Not official yet, but it's more than likely I'll have to replace the hip again. The whole body is broken at the moment, but it'll be fine,' Matt said. 'My body was trying to go into shock a few times, it was shutting down, but mentally, my mind's telling one thing and my body's saying another.' There was a moment when Matt and his team felt he wouldn't be able to complete the challenge, but a chance encounter with a rainbow, gave the team all the strength they needed. When they stopped for a rest on the first day, Matt was unsure if would be able to complete the challenge (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) 'There was probably one point where we were down, we were defeated, which was the end of the first day. We didn't get to where we needed to be,' Matt said. 'I could tell on a lot of people's faces, they were worried, I was worried. 'Then we had three hours sleep and we went again. The sun came up and we were traversing across the top… and a full rainbow came out above us and we all looked at each other. 'No one said anything, we just all looked at each other, we put the music on as loud as we could, and we absolutely just went up another couple of gears.' Another thing that inspired Matt and his children was Vicky's memories and her words. 'She was an incredible inspiring lady that had a gift of empowering people with confidence to believe in themselves' Matt said. 'She would always say you are the only you, own it, rock it, be it, embrace it, love it, be it. 'You are the only you. She'd always say that. She would preach that into my children and others. And just give others the inner confidence to better themselves, challenge themselves, and be the best version of yourself. She was an absolutely amazing woman.' It was this rainbow, that inspired Matt and his team when they were in a tricky spot (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) The challenge has also helped raised more than £50,000 pounds for children's hospice charity, Hope House Tŷ Gobaith which Matt says was close to Vickys heart and had helped some of their family members as well. 'Getting close to the event, obviously, there was no certainty that I would do it. It's pretty extreme,' Matt said. 'I knew very early on I'd have to go to a place physically, mentally, that I've never been before. I'm an ex Royal Marine Commando, I'm used to carrying heavy stuff on my back, long distances. 'Llangollen Round is a 36-hour event. You can do it in one day or two days. Obviously, I was trying to do it twice with a fridge freezer on my back in the 36-hour period, and we somehow… and I will say we, it was a team effort, it wasn't just me, I had a support team family allowing me to train. 'We decided to obviously raise money for Hope House, which is an amazing children's hospice charity on the borders of Wales up here. And I think the best part is we're at nearly £55,000 collectively now, which is amazing.' You can donate to the fundraiser in Vicky's memory by clicking here . Though his story has spread far, Matt said that gaining attention for himself was never the motive. 'That wasn't my objective at all. It was to fulfil the bet really with the children first, secondly to spread her mantra, and thirdly to raise money for the charity,' Matt said. 'I did hold back as long as I could because I consciously didn't want to make it about myself. 'I understand the news people are interested in the fridge freezer man, but that's not my objective. My objective is to spread what an amazing woman Vicky was.' It was his children who motivated Matt the most. 'They're very proud. Vicky runs through them all. They're a product of her environment,' he said. 'They knew I was going to do it. They were the only ones that knew I could do it, they were the only ones throughout. 'I had several people telling me, 'Why don't you just do it once? Trying to manage my expectations. They [his children] were the only ones that said, you're going to do this, we know you can do this. 'I think me and Vicky have always instilled in them two things, very simple: never ever be normal, never ever be boring. Love your life. We are slightly different. I know we are slightly, but they're very proud and I'm so proud of them. They're amazing.' Matt's children joined him in the journey (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) Matt hopes his challenge can aslo inspire other to push their boundaries, something that is very important to him. 'Don't become a number. I can't think of anything worse than one day lying on my bed, hopefully, with grandchildren and my family around me in my dying days, grey and old, looking back and wishing I'd done something,' he said. 'I think that's my goal. I come from a beautiful family that have given me the ability to spread my wings and achieve as much as I can in life and that's why I want to sit there hopefully one day and say, I did as much I could, I lived,' Matt added. Repeating Vicky's mantra, he added: 'Everything in moderation, but I think, keep pushing, be you. It's a cliche saying this is one life, live it, but honestly, more than ever to me, it is true. Tomorrow, everything could change, couldn't it? 'If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you, okay? Say that to yourself a few times and let it sink. What is the next challenge that's going to change you? It doesn't have to be a physical challenge. 'It doesn't have to be putting the fridge freezer in your back for sure. It can be little things in little steps that challenges you to change, inspire your children to be better people. 'My view, Vicky's view, more than anything was we're on this planet to create better people than what we are. That's our job in life, if you have children. I know my children will become better people than I am.' Matt says he would not have made it without his team (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) Though he did eventually conquer the challenge, Matt believes he would not have been able to do it without his team and his family. Article continues below 'It was a team challenge and I can't thank them enough, the role that they played, regardless of how big or how small it was, it was a team effort, from family to friends, to support team,' Matt said. 'I was a cog in a wheel, that's my job. Everyone put me in the best possible position that day to deliver. 'We had all challenges with wind and weather and fueling and a few things went wrong but we we did it because we were a team we were a unit.'
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta government travel spending increased by nearly $1 million in 2024
Alberta's cabinet ministers and political staff spent significantly more on airfare, hotels and other travel costs last year compared to 2023, according to an analysis of government expense disclosures. The IJF analyzed over 60,000 expense claims from the previous two fiscal years. In 2024-25, Alberta government ministries spent $4.41 million on travel and hospitality, a 28 per cent increase over the $3.45 million expensed in 2023-24. Nearly 40 per cent of this increase comes from trips taken by cabinet ministers, top ministerial bureaucrats and their office staff. Ministerial office expenses related to travel totalled $1.84 million last year, up about $362,000 from 2023-24. Cabinet ministers alone racked up over $500,000 in travel expenses in 2024-25, 1.5 times more than the previous year. The highest spending members of cabinet include former minister of jobs, economy and trade Matt Jones, his successor Joseph Schow, Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf and Premier Danielle Smith. The Alberta government's delegation to COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, was the single costliest international trip last year. Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz and five staff spent over $90,000 to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2024, including $58,535 for hotel accommodations. Other big-ticket items billed to taxpayers include $12,924 in airfare for Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean's trip to the Japan Energy Summit and Exhibition and $10,925 for the premier's chief of staff Rob Anderson's flights to the United Arab Emirates. Smith's press secretary Sam Blackett told the IJF that travel is important for promoting Alberta's interests and building relationships. 'It also allows our government to engage with business leaders, investors and organizations, showcasing the province as an attractive place for investment, trade, and economic development,' Blackett said. 'On top of the ongoing trade dispute with the United States, we have a hostile federal government that does not align or support our provincial priorities. That's why it is more important now than ever that we are directly advocating for Alberta's interests.' University of Calgary political scientist Lisa Young said that with 2023 being an election year, 'politicians were very much staying close to home. They probably didn't want to be seen to be swanning around on the public dollar to the same extent. 'In 2024, we're far away from an election. And on top of that, you've got some fairly exceptional things going on internationally that might have driven at least some of the travel.' In the context of tariff threats and changing international trade relationships, the jump in travel spending by the premier's office and executive council or the trade ministry 'makes perfect sense,' Young said. Smith's brief visit to Mar-a-Lago in January to meet with then president-elect Donald Trump reportedly cost taxpayers more than $10,000 . The premier's mission to Washington, D.C., for Trump's inauguration eight days later, which included Smith and three other staff, came with a price tag of at least $15,800, according to public expense disclosures. There were 17 government ministries with travel expenditure increases of 25 per cent or more in 2024-25 compared to the previous year. While the increase in travel spending from the premier's office and the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade were higher than most other departments, the largest year-over-year increase by dollar value, about $120,000, was reported by the Ministry of Health. 'The health spending actually is a bit of a head scratcher for me. I can't think of a particular reason why they would need to spend more money on travel in the health portfolio,' Young said. 'It's a very domestic kind of portfolio, and there's certainly lots going on here that you would think the minister and the minister's staff would be focused on.'
