SWNS1:352 hours agoWoman and 12-year-old boy fight for lives in critical condition following house fireSWNSA woman and a 12-year-old boy are in a critical condition fighting for their lives in hospital after being rescued from a devastating house fire. Emergency services were called to a property on Dudley Road in Honeybourne, Evesham, Worcs., at 12.18pm on Tuesday (30/5). Fire crews were able to retrieve the child and 45-year-old woman from the burning building as flames engulfed two floors. Both victims were assessed for life-threatening injuries and taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Children's Hospital for further treatment. West Mercia Police confirmed today (Wed) both of them remained in a critical condition. A police spokesperson said: "We were called by the fire service at 12.20pm on Tuesday 30 May to a house fire on Dudley Road in Honeybourne. "Two people, a 45-year-old woman and a 12-year-old child, were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. They remain in a critical condition. "The circumstances are not yet fully known and an investigation is underway. "At this stage it appears an isolated incident and no other people are believed to be involved". The woman and boy were rescued from a first-floor window and three dogs were also retrieved from the property. Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire was extinguished just before 1pm. Crews from Evesham, Broadway and Pershore Fire Stations all attended, along with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service's crew from Alcester. Six breathing apparatus units and one hose reel jet were used to tackle the severe blaze. A fire service spokesperson said: "A severe fire involving a semi-detached, two-storey house affected both the ground and first floors. “A woman and a boy were rescued from a first-floor bedroom by fire service personnel wearing breathing apparatus. “They were left in the care of the ambulance service who were in attendance with the air ambulance. “All people were accounted for and neighbouring properties were checked. “The fire was fully extinguished by 12.56pm while three dogs had also been rescued from the property." A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said three ambulances, one paramedic officer, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), two Midland Air Ambulances and a BASICS emergency doctor attended the scene. They added: “Upon arrival at the scene we found a woman and a child who had been extricated from the property by the fire service. “They were assessed by ambulance staff and had sustained life-threatening injuries. Ambulance …
SWNS1:563 hours agoArtist has created a stunning life-like mural in the home gym of Premier League and France footballer Lucas DigneSWNSAn artist has created a stunning life-like mural in the home gym of Premier League and France footballer Lucas Digne. Artist Emma Kenny, 29, spent 150 hours over a two-week period completing the 25-square-metre art in the Aston Villa star's home in Sainte-Maxime, France. Emma said: "The original hand-painted artwork includes four life-size portraits of Digne in different kits representing his career over the last decade. "Starting at Barcelona, with the backdrop of Camp Nou, moving to Everton and then most recently to Aston Villa and with a final portrait of him in his national team kit." The Digne mural isn't Emma's first commission from a Premier League star. Last year she painted a mural in the home gym of Arsenal and Ukraine defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, which went viral at the time. Emma captioned the video: "Last night I completed my most time-consuming project to date. "Although it was less than half the size of my first footballer’s mural, it was far more complex, detailed and equally as challenging. "There is, of course, the not-so-minor plus of the job being in the south of France. "So most stresses was soothed by the sea breeze and exhaustion lessened by an overload of vitamin D. "Any mural project leaves me a little deflated and lost when it finally concludes - and this gets heightened when I’ve stayed away from home, where I’ve inevitably created a bizarre bubble that can be liberating and lonely all at once. "I’m going to jump right in and say that these last three weeks have been the peak of my career so far. "It’s highly plausible that my bubble is yet to burst and is currently filled with the stench of black coffee, second-hand smoke and the croissants flying through the cafe I’m sat in - something that can only be romanticised in France. "Regardless, the task was undeniably mammoth-sized - shown by the 150+ hours it took me to complete, spread thickly across 14 days. "There can always be more that can be done on a mural, and packing up before I’m 100% pleased is something I’m slowly coming to terms with. "That being said, the client is happy, so I’m happy… and I’m flying back to a sunny UK so I can’t really complain!" Emma was born and raised in south-east London and studied art up until her A-Levels, but took a "leap of faith" to become a full-time artist when the pandemic hit.
SWNS3:488 hours ago"We live near Villa Park football ground - rowdy fans smash our windows and dump litter in our gardens"SWNSResidents living near a historic Premier League ground have revealed how rowdy football fans make life a misery - by smashing windows, vandalising cars and dumping rubbish in gardens. Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, has been home to Aston Villa for 126 years and attracts royal fans and Hollywood megastars to its 42,640 capacity stadium. It is one of Britain's oldest grounds and will also host European football next season after Villa secured 7th place in the Premier League. But residents living next to the famous stadium have now told how life can be a "nightmare" on match days as thousands descend on the residential city suburb. They revealed their house and cars windows have been smashed, driveways regularly blocked by parked vehicles and how fans urinate in their front gardens. Other locals are forced to clear up discarded litter themselves and say they plan going out by studying the fixture list to avoid the mayhem of match days. Abu Zaman, 26, is a Villa fan but says living near the team he supports isn't all it's cracked up to be as his car has been damaged on multiple occasions. Business owner Abu, who has lived on Trinity Road all of his life, said: “The parking and the traffic are really bad. "We get people who scratch our cars and previously had people smash our windows. “Our road is shut on the day. On a match day you have to wait for the game to start at which point your whole day is wasted. “Then there's the parking, the litter and the vandalism. The roads are open but the supporters are walking on the road and blocking them. “In the 26 years Villa have only approached us for once for planning permission for the ground extension, they don’t care about the local community. “As long as their pockets are lined, they don't care. It’s all about tickets and season tickets for them. “The roads are covered in alcohol bottles, burger wrappers, pretty much everything.” Villa have had a near 10,000 seat new stand approved in the past few months, which locals fear is just going to make the problems worse. Dad-of-one James Payne, 35, who lives on neigbouring Endicott Road, added: "This is a built up area, the infrastructure can't support even more fans. "It's bad enough as it is - having to wade through a sea of beer bottles and takeaway wrappers just to get to your front door. "We've had people urinating in our front garden, I'm sure people act like they wouldn't usually do when they go the football. They turn into yobs. "Someone once ripped our fence …
SWNS0:368 hours agoPolice made a teenage boy's dreams come true - by ARRESTING himSWNSPolice made a teenage boy's dreams come true - by ARRESTING him. Eisa Khan, who has Down syndrome, was nicked in Bradford, West Yorks. He was on his way home from a disability football game when he and mum Shabana, 34, flagged down an off-duty officer. Eisa, 13, was then arrested - to his delight. Shabana, a full-time carer, said: "Eisa loves the scenes and loves to act things out. "When the police officer came to talk to him, he decided to get out of our car and walk to the police officer's car with his hands behind his back pretending to be arrested. "As Eisa did that the police officer decided to go along with him and let him sit in the back of the car for a few seconds, which was amazing." Eisa has an interest in both acting and the police force - and many of his performances involve putting bad people in jail. Shabana added: "He loves acting out and putting people in jail and loves the blue lights. "He's always pretending to play games of him being a policeman, he loves speaking and interacting with them. "He's always been interested in playing and acting, and always says on TikTok to his fans that Mama is going to jail because she makes me go to school. "He loves to joke about it all and this literally made his dreams come true to actually play out the scene in real life. "We have a few community support officers that come to our football group on a Saturday to support us at Bradford City Disability Football Club. "They come and always have a kick about with the kids Eisa doesn't leave their side as he absolutely loves them." Shabana said seeing Eisa happy is always a special experience - and it means a lot when people go out of their way to do something nice for him. She said: "The most amazing part of this was the officer who was absolutely amazing he gave Eisa the time. "Even when I asked, 'I don't want to hold you up if you're busy', he said. 'No this is what it's all about, being part of the community and showing people that we are here'. "That made his day. We tried to offer lunch from Greggs but he refused. "I am so happy and couldn't thank the officer enough for what he did for Eisa, who has Down syndrome. "The impact he has made on him is absolutely amazing. He adores the police force and just showing that kindness the way he did is a moment that he will cherish forever." The wholesome moment has been viewed by thousands online. However, some people have left nasty comments on the video. Shabana said: "The negative comments we really don't …
SWNS2:482 days ago"We left 'unsafe' London after stabbing on our street - and we save £1k a month living in Spain"SWNSA couple fled "unsafe" London and emigrated to Spain after after a stabbing on their street and say they save £1k-a-month living abroad and are now "living the dream". Tim Sunderland, 35, and his fiancé, Sally Biddal, 33, decided to leave their new build studio flat in Fulham, London, for Nerja, in Andalusia, southern Spain. The couple claim the cost-of-living crisis combined with a spate of local crimes in their area made their life in London "a chore". Having grown up in Hammersmith and Fulham, Londoner Tim felt "there was a lot of tension" in the capital - after his friend was mugged twice and lots of watches and phones in their area were stolen. Tim - who runs a multi asset brokerage Mitto Markets - decided to shut up shop in the UK in March - and now is a digital nomad. This new lifestyle means he can roam around different countries with access to the internet his only requirement. Tim is running his company from his laptop on a sunny terrace with a sea view and says he now has a "happy perspective on life". Tim can end up working from 8am until 9pm and wanted to make the most of "precious resources - time and happiness". He couple claim living in Spain saves them £1,000 every month - and so far, they've saved themselves £3k by moving out of London and Tim insists they have "absolutely no regrets". Tim said: "It doesn’t feel like a holiday from Monday to Friday. "Me and my fiancée both run very full-on businesses and we're entirely focussed on that. "Taking on such a heavy work commitment like we have, it’s become completely necessary to take more care of our mental health – and living near the sea in a sunny country and away from a major city, it helps us keep perspective on life. “You rarely ever hear sirens. "I have maybe heard two in the three months we’ve been here versus three every two hours in London. "The week we were packing up to leave, a kid was stabbed on my road. "I could see some of the blood stains on the pavement and thought: 'Thank God we’re off.' Tim added: "The cost of living is way cheaper here. “Eating and drinking out is noticeably more affordable. “Just the other night, I had a pint of local beer, large bottle of water and two tapas dishes which only came to €4.65” Tim owns his flat in Fulham, but if he was renting his house it would cost at least £2,300-a-month whereas a like for like holiday apartment in Nerja costs just £1,700-a-month. "Everything is cheaper here but rent especially so," he said. Due to Brexit and new …
SWNS1:382 days agoGrandad one of the world's best arm-wrestlers after taking up sport three years agoSWNSA British grandad has become one of the world's best arm-wrestlers - after only taking up the sport three years ago. Mark Waldon, 53, discovered professional arm wrestling in lockdown and is now competing at an international level. He joined Milton Keynes Arm Wrestling Club after researching how to get involved with the sport online. His first few bouts ended in heavy defeat, but six-months into his arm wrestling career it was clear he was a special talent. And, earlier this month, Mark won gold while representing Team GB at the International Federation of Arm Wrestling (IFA) European Championships in Finland. Mark, from Flitwick, Bedfordshire, said: "I'd been training nearly 40 years in the gym before taking up the sport. "It was a challenge to begin with, but I started training the specific muscles you need, and immediately started seeing results. "To be able to say now that I'm a European gold medallist feels pretty special!" During the pandemic, Mark contracted covid and then pneumonia. He was ill for months, and at one point believed he wouldn't live to tell the tale. While in bed recovering, he started looking at videos of arm wrestling on YouTube and decided when he got better, it was something he wanted to pursue. Mark recovered in May 2020, and, as soon as restrictions were lifted, joined Milton Keynes Arm Wrestling Club. At first, he was losing every wrestle, and Mark says he quickly discovered his strong physique wasn't enough to bring him success. Mark, a retired civil servant, said: "Covid nearly cost me my life, and it made me want to live life to the fullest. "Arm wrestling appealed to me, and as soon as I was able to, I joined Milton Keynes Arm Wrestling Club - who would meet every Thursday. "Members were all different shapes, sizes and ages, but it was a really friendly, inclusive culture. "I got a bit of a shock to begin with because I was losing week in week out. "To prosper in the sport you need to train tiny muscles in your arms which you wouldn't usually use - so I went away and that's what I did. "The exercise are very specific short movements, and you sometimes feel a bit silly doing them in the gym - but that's what you have to do." After six-months of arm wrestling, it became clear Mark was a special talent. He started competing all over the country in national tournaments, and turned pro in May 2021. The dad-of-one was recording win after win, and was subsequently accepted by the IFA to represent the Great British arm wrestling …
