Charlie Jones

I'm a journalist and writer with 20 years of experience, currently working for the BBC website.

News

Explore a selection of my writing work below.

BBC News •

Boy with SMA given £1.8m drug has new lease of life

A five-year-old boy who received the world's most expensive drug as a baby has made "incredible progress" and can walk independently, his mother said.Edward, from Colchester, has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) which means he lacks a protein vital for muscle development.He was one of the first children in England to be given the gene therapy Zolgensma, which costs £1.79m for the one-off treatment, through the NHS in 2021.Mother Megan said Edward was her "pride and joy" and he had achieved mileston...
BBC News •

'I thought my autistic son would never tell me he loves me'

James Hunt thought his autistic son Tommy would never be able to say that he loved him.But three months ago, the 14-year-old, who is non-speaking, sent him a text message with those very words."I immediately started crying," James says. "I know we have a good relationship and he is affectionate towards me but it was so emotional when he was able to confirm it. "After so many years of limited communication, it has been life-changing."James, from Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex, used to run a marketing...
BBC News •

Model with Down's syndrome 'beyond excited' to join Malory Towers

A woman who made history as the first model with Down's syndrome to feature on the front cover of Vogue said she was honoured to be making her acting debut.Ellie Goldstein, from Essex, plays Nancy in the new series of Malory Towers on CBBC.Doctors said the 23-year old would never be able to walk or talk when she was born."I am so honoured to have been a part of this fantastic series. I'm beyond excited to see my episodes and share them with everyone," she said.
BBC News •

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 •

'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 •

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 •

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 •

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 •

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 •

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 •

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 •

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 •

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 •

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
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