BBC News • 18th June 2025

Widow thanks builders completing husband's home project

A mother-of-six whose husband died while renovating their home to help their disabled son said she was "so thankful" to volunteers who will complete the work.Sarah Fletcher, 46, who lives in Foulden, Norfolk, said her husband Shaun kept his mental health issues hidden before he took his own life on Christmas Eve.The charity Band of Builders, based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, will finish the downstairs bedroom and wet room for her 16-year-old son Toby, who has cerebral palsy."I'm so thankful to t...

BBC News • 22nd December 2024

'Santa Claus' overjoyed by reindeer visit in hospice

A great-grandfather who was Father Christmas for 20 years said it felt "wonderful" to meet some reindeer in his bedroom in a hospice.

BBC News • 18th December 2024

Son appeals for lost Rolex watch after Dad dies at West Ham match

The finance manager posted an appeal on X saying his family was desperate to get back the "sentimental" watch, which was thought to be worth about £14,000.

BBC News • 11th March 2024

Cancer patients 'at risk' due to treatment delays, doctors say

"The waiting has been horrific. I have tried to keep positive and the treatment I am now getting is the best possible treatment but I know the delay can have a negative impact on your survival rate.

"As a nurse I wanted to do the best for my patients. Everyone I have seen wants to do their best for me but they're being prevented from doing that."

BBC News • 10th March 2024

'I thought I'd never get to have a Mother's Day'

"This is my first Mother's Day with him, I am so excited. It is something that I thought would never happen for me," said Mrs Guyan, who lives in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

"My stomach was so inflamed that I looked six months pregnant on some days, which was even more traumatic because I couldn't seem to fall pregnant. One of my neighbours congratulated me because she saw my bump, which was very upsetting," she said.

She and her husband Alex spent several years trying for a baby after they got

BBC News • 27th January 2024

Paramedic let down by mental health services, mum says

"Her GP then also threw her out because she was moving," her mother said. "There was a real lack of support from the start of her diagnosis, despite Rebecca desperately trying to access it.

At times the support was so bad that she took it upon herself to increase her own medication when she was struggling, her mother said, because she could not get advice.

"Rebecca was desperate not to go on that drug, she was worried it would change her whole personality, but she was told it was that or nothi

BBC News • 22nd January 2024

Mother skips meals after cost-of-living payment ends

A mother said she cannot afford to eat dinner after the government stopped a cost-of-living payment.

Yvette Clements, 59, from Norwich, is a carer for her daughter Rosey, who cannot regulate her body temperature.

Their heating has to be turned on most of the time and their bills have risen to £300 a month.

BBC News • 18th January 2024

Government school attendance campaign criticised by parents

"Parents can struggle to get their children to school for many valid reasons. This campaign comes across as very patronising and ableist and I think the money could have been spent on much better things to support children to get back in school," she added.

"I think that it will be the biggest single issue, outside outcomes, that schools and heads will be worrying about when Ofsted starts again. If you are not issuing loads of fines then you will be downgraded as that seems to be the only appro

BBC News • 13th December 2023

Scientists make pregnancy sickness cure breakthrough

"I had a real sense of an inability to exist, I couldn't be around my family," she said. "I considered not carrying on my pregnancies because it was so terrible and that is really common when you have HG.

The new research, published in Nature and involving scientists at the University of Cambridge and researchers in Scotland, the USA and Sri Lanka, found that the degree of sickness was related to the amount of hormone produced in the womb - and prior exposure.

They studied women at the Rosie M

BBC News • 22nd November 2023

Teen artist who raised £250k for charity dies aged 15

Noah, who lived in Dedham, Essex, first collaborated with artists across the world for a painting project three years ago and raised money for the NHS hospital that treated him.

"It has been extremely special sharing our little legend with you all," said Mr Jones, writing on Facebook.

"You've all helped produce so many special moments and memories over the last three years. Moments we will cherish forever.

"He had a blast, made his mark and we are so proud of him."

He started painting on car

BBC News • 4th August 2023

River Stour swimmers criticise bathing water rule changes

Wild swimmers hoping for bathing water status for their local river said they were "horrified" after the government changed the rules.

The swimmers are applying for water quality to be monitored in the River Stour in Manningtree, Essex.

BBC News • 10th July 2023

Mum paints stretch marks on Barbie for daughter

A mother who developed stretch marks while pregnant has painted some on her daughter's Barbie "so she can grow up knowing they are normal".

Her daughter, now three, is a fan of Barbies but Mrs Claxton could not find any she felt represented her own body.

"I would love the manufacturers to make some Barbies with stretch marks to spread the message that they are nothing to worry about."

The 35-year-old had already bought her daughter a diverse range of the dolls, including one with a prosthetic

BBC News • 4th July 2023

Cancer patients welcome NHS drug policy change

Before the rule change, if a patient took a treatment break for longer than six weeks they would have to reapply for NHS funding, with no guarantee it would be approved.

Mr Marsland, who has incurable cancer, needed to pause his treatment for a hernia operation last year. He had to take a shorter break due to the policy and was left worrying he might have to fund cetuximab himself in the future.

The father-of-two, who works as a principal technologist for BT, has been through 93 rounds of chem

BBC News • 20th June 2023

Egg freezing rises as more women look to preserve fertility

"I remember having counselling explaining the reason why I wanted to freeze my eggs and being given the opportunity to donate as well. I took that option as I wasn't just doing it for myself.

"After donating I started to feel quite guilty. I wasn't sure that I had done the right thing. What if the mother of the child isn't a good one? What if the child ends up in foster care? What if it's neglected?

"This will be an ongoing conversation with my two children that they have a genetic sister out

BBC News • 29th May 2023

Flesh-eating bug nearly kills new mum

After a scan revealed pockets of gas underneath her tissue, they realised it could be necrotising fasciitis. Doctors said she needed immediate surgery to remove a large amount of dead tissue to stop the flesh-eating bacteria from spreading.

Miss Chatterton was kept sedated for three days and woke up to two large wounds on her stomach, which had to left open for six days to help her body recover until they were able to fit a vacuum pump.

"I'm still finding it quite difficult psychologically, bu

BBC News • 28th May 2023

Hundreds take to the water for clean river campaign

The S.W.I.M (Safe Water in Manningtree) team has to count the number of people who use the water on 20 different days over the summer to prove it is a popular bathing spot.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs considers how many people bath there, whether the site has suitable facilities and where investment would have the most impact when making its decision.

Manningtree Beach is impacted by three sewer storm overflows which spill into the Stour, but only one has been monito

BBC News • 9th May 2023

Mum who missed baby's birth determined to recover

A mum who missed the first six months of her baby's life due to a brain tumour is determined to get better for her daughter, her partner said.

BBC News • 27th February 2023

Teen could end up in wheelchair due to NHS delays

Aimee said: "I just want to be normal, whatever normal is. I want to hang out with my friends and be a kid."

BBC News • 26th February 2023

Dying woman throws party instead of funeral

Ms Williams writing a bucket list when she was diagnosed and number one was a flight in a Spitfire. It was "absolutely crazy, fantastic and more than I ever wished for", and her son followed behind in a chaser plane, she said.

BBC News • 12th February 2023

Wild swimmers bid for bathing water status

Some members have fallen sick after swimming in the river, where sewage was recorded as having been released for more than 1,200 hours last year.

BBC News • 30th January 2023

Rugby player ends up in hospital due to dog poo

A rugby player who ended up in hospital with an infection in his leg from dog poo said the problem needed to be taken more seriously.

BBC News • 19th November 2022

Nurse burned in fire proud of bodybuilding debut

Ms Charlesworth had always dreamed of taking part in a bodybuilding contest, but put her plans on hold while she recovered from the fire, which happened not long after she had bought a house in Cornard and moved out of her father's house in Colchester.

"My bikini was inspired by the 'girl on fire' vibe and that's why it went from red into orange. I wanted to encompass it within the show as it's a part of me," she said.

"I felt quite nervous beforehand and was messaging the federation and the t

BBC News • 14th November 2022

'We've got to sell our family home due to mortgage rise'

A mother-of-three said she was devastated at having to put her house on the market because she could no longer afford her mortgage payments.

BBC News • 7th November 2022

Bereaved mum devastated by new baby son's cancer

A mother whose baby son died last year said she could not understand how life could be so cruel after her new baby was diagnosed with leukaemia.

"I don't understand how life can be so cruel and my baby has now got to go through this," she said.

Friends have set up a GoFundMe page for the family to help pay for their accommodation while Ralphie has chemotherapy for the next five months at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

"If we haven't already been through hell and back here we are agai