A West Lothian grandfather is climbing nine of Scotland’s highest peaks to raise fund for his grandson, who has a rare genetic condition.
22.04.2023 - 12:57 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The Covid-19 pandemic wasn't kind to anyone, flipping lives upside down and forcing people into isolation. During the pandemic, grandad John Fairley found his mental health dipping, piling on the weight he'd lost in the last decade after gorging on biscuits before sitting on video calls for work.
But the 56-year-old managed to drag himself out of a 'very dark place', quit his job as an engineer and has gone on to raise over £10,000 for charity, Birmingham Live reports.
"I was working from home," John said. "My life was getting up, having a shower and sitting for eight hours a day on Teams meetings. It wasn't pleasant."
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
"I would make myself a cup of coffee and have four to five biscuits," he said. "I got myself back into a better place."
But it didn't take long for it to fall off again when lockdown ended and he reunited with personal trainer pal Alex.
The Solihull fundraiser, who has five children and two grandchildren, is now one of the oldest among more than 50 intrepid fundraisers set to conquer Ben Nevis this weekend. Today, April 22, will be his fourth time tackling the gruelling 4,400ft climb.
The group are climbing in aid of Warwickshire children's charity Molly Ollys. Bosses support kids with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The challenge was organised by Alex, from Stratford, who will lead the large group eight-and-a-half miles up Britain’s highest peak.
An experienced climber who has previously scaled Snowdon, John said he would play an "encouraging role" to make sure everybody else was OK.
"I go at my pace," he said. "I know that if I put one foot in front of the other I'll get up and down it safely."
John - who sees
A West Lothian grandfather is climbing nine of Scotland’s highest peaks to raise fund for his grandson, who has a rare genetic condition.
Eurovision Song Contest has returned to the UK for the first time since 1998.Taking place at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, this year’s contest is being held on UK shores as last year’s winner, Ukraine, are unable to host due to the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.Eurovision 2023, however, will still have Ukrainian elements with singer Julia Sanina, frontwoman of Ukrainian rock band The Hardkiss, hosting the event alongside Graham Norton, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon.Of the total 37 countries from across Europe and Australia who are competing in the contest, 26 will perform in the final: the top 10 winners from each respective semi-final, the Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) and Ukraine.Singer-songwriter Mae Muller is representing the UK with her track ‘I Wrote A Song’, which she co-wrote with Karen Poole and Lewis Thompson.Speaking to NME about the song, Muller said: “A lot of my music can come from a place of pain, even though the outcome is quite sassy and liberating. This was one of those moments where I wanted to write something that made people feel empowered.
King Charles' affair with his now-wife, Camilla Parker Bowles had been highly documented for decades and was again highlighted during her transition from mistress to Queen But what isn't really common knowledge was his supposed second mistress, Lady Dale 'Kanga' Tryon, who died just months after his first wife, Princess Diana, in mysterious circumstances.
K.J. Yossman “Tabby McTat,” the lively children’s story by writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, is set to get the BBC treatment with a new adaptation by longtime Donaldson/Scheffler collaborators Magic Light Pictures. “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker will narrate the tale about a cat who gets separated from his owner while Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (“Gangs of London”) will voice Tabby. Other stars lending their voices to the short include Rob Brydon (“Gavin and Stacey”), Cariad Lloyd (“Peep Show”), Joanna Scanlan (“The Thick of It”) and Susan Wokoma (“Enola Holmes”). “Superworm” directors Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman will helm the project, which was written by Max Lang and Suzanne Lang. Barney Goodland and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures will produce. BBC chief content office Charlotte Moore and BBC drama commissioning editor Nawfal Faizullah acquired the film for the BBC. Red Star Studio will provide animation services.
Young Noa Kirel is representing her country Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with her upbeat song Unicorn, which she co-wrote and co-composed. The 22-year-old singer-songwriter wowed at the first Eurovision semi-finals on May 9 and successfully advanced to the grand final which will be taking place on Saturday 13 May.
The wait is finally over. Beyoncé's much-anticipated RENAISSANCE World Tour is officially under way, with the superstar kicking things off at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
From the day he walked in the door, Erik ten Hag has gone about making big changes at Manchester United.
King Charles’ official Coronation portraits gave an insight into His Majesty’s idea of a slimmed-down monarchy – with one shot showing the working royals all together. The image features 10 members of The Firm alongside the King and Queen Consort Camilla – including well-known faces such as Princess Anne, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. But while the woman standing in between the Duchess and Duke of Edinburgh may be unrecognisable to many – she has been described as the 'unsung heroine' of the Royal Family.
Nick Freeman has made millions getting his celebrity clients off drink-drive charges and other motoring offences.
Eurovision 2023 — check out a full list of the latest odds below.This year’s instalment of the concert will take place in Liverpool, following the ongoing political conflict taking place in Ukraine — who won the competition last year. The semi-finals take place today (May 9) and Thursday (11 May), ahead of the grand finale on Saturday (13 May).Currently, Sweden is taking the lead with Loreen’s ‘Tattoo’, which has odds listed as 8/13 on bet365. The singer, who returned to the stage after winning the 2012 contest, is set to face tight competition from Finland this year.Represented by Käärijä with the song ‘Cha Cha Cha’, Finland is in second place with 9/4 according to bet365.
A dad accused of murdering his two-week-old baby daughter has been found not guilty by a jury.
A dangerous driver who killed a dad-to-be on the M6 has had his jail sentence increased by three years. John Frazer Yates, 28, reached an estimated 128 mph on the M6 in a stretch which had a 50 mph limit due to roadworks when the fatal crash happened.
Tickets to watch this year’s Eurovision Song Contest 2023 sold out in just minutes but there are plenty of ways to enjoy the popular event in person this year.
An Oldham man stood just metres away from King Charles III as he was on his way to being crowned at the Coronation today. Proud family and friends snapped pictures of Afruz Miah when he appeared on their screens as one of the 2,000 people invited to witness the King’s Coronation inside Westminster Abbey.
King Charles and Queen Camilla‘s Coronation was a family affair!
Salford gran Laynie Nesbitt had been a yo-yo dieter for years, and had seen her weight continue to rise up to 19 stone. But in June 2020, a chance conversation would spark a life-changing journey that has seen Laynie lose seven-and-a-half stone in under a year.
Mindhunter star Jonathan Groff will appear in the upcoming series of Doctor Who in a major role.The BBC said the 38 year old, a regular on Broadway in the US, would be “jumping aboard the Tardis” in a “mysterious and exciting” guest part.The latest revamp of the long-running science-fiction series will see Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa take over as the Time Lord with Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson as his companion. Millie, 18, is best-known for playing Kelly Neelan in the ITV soap, which she stepped away from in 2022, and Groff came to prominence playing the role of Jesse in musical comedy drama Glee.
During a royal visit to a London pub, Kate Middleton revealed that her eldest child Prince George is “excited” about his grandad's coronation celebrations at the weekend. Kate, 41, proudly said that the young royal had been taking part in rehearsals for the big day, after she travelled on the Tube with Prince William to visit a pub in London.
A speeding driver who had taken MDMA killed a 'much-loved family man' in a crash in Cheshire.
A 'bubbly' and 'much-loved' HGV driver and Army veteran was found dead in the back of his lorry in a lay-by, an inquest heard. Dad Drew Howe, 26, from Stockport, was discovered in the trailer of the Scania vehicle on the A18 in Lincolnshire on October 19 last year.